Off to a Rough Start
by Kasei Tomodatchi
Summary: One of my first attempts at a fic, so please don't get angry! It's basically about Piccolo right after Namek and how he meets up with my own character, Kasei. I don't wanna spoil it for you, so just go read it!!! ^_^
1. Introduction

**Author's Note:** For some reason this introduction was deleted/replaced with chapter one, so I am reuploading the intro. Keep in mind that I wrote this at the same time as the other chapters (back in 2001-2002) and it is REALLY horrid. But it shows how and where the fic takes place. Read or not, it's your decision...it really isn't that relevent to the story, but to each his/her own. ;

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Piccolo or any Dragon Ball Z property, it all belongs to Akira Toriyama and FUNimation, so please do not sue. ee; I do however claim ownership to Kasei Tomodatchi, so please do not use her without my permission.

_(Setting: Piccolo is standing on a rise looking through the trees at Gohan through his open window)_

_If you ever need me Gohan, I'll be there for you, Piccolo thought as he turned away from his post and disappeared into the woods. I must resume my training…so that I may become stronger…who knows when the next battle may come._

_Piccolo slowly floated upward, scanning the horizon looking for the place he was to train. When he got high enough he sighted it far off in the distance. He sped off towards it, opposite of Gohan's home._

While flying about a quarter mile above the earth, he began to think about the chain of events that had occurred just recently and had drawn him away from training. He had been taken; about a year ago it seems, from earth after their battle with Vegeta and Napa. He had died saving Gohan from Napa's deadly blast. And then he was whisked to King-Ki's planet to train for their up-coming battle with Freeza. Piccolo grinned as he recalled how he was somehow suckered into chasing Ki's fool monkey, Bubbles around the planet. _King-Ki and his ridiculous methods of training_ Piccolo thought.

The sudden unexplainable rush after Gohan and Krillen wished him back to Namek that he would have missed if he had blinked. His finding and reluctant fusing with a fellow Namek named Neil, and the stunning power after his fusion that made him over-confident of his abilities. The over-powering feeling of success that he felt when he thought he had defeated Freezia 2nd form only to find defeat when Freezia transformed to 3rd form.

He also remembered Vegita's meager attempts to defeat Freezia and the help from Neil's little friend, Dendei. Who; with his powers, had healed them all. But as they would all learn soon, no one could beat Freezia except Goku. As far as Piccolo could remember, their battle was long and hard. But after Goku threw the spirit bomb, which contained energy from every living thing in the galaxy, they thought it was all over and that they had won. But the next thing Piccolo knew was that Freezia was still alive and, wasting no time, he aimed a beam at Goku while his back was turned. The last thing Piccolo could remember was pushing Goku aside to save him. Piccolo's hand shot to his chest at the place where the beam had gone. He glanced down at the star-shaped scar it had left. Wondering about what happened afterwards, because he didn't really know for sure about most of it.

With all of these thoughts and memories flooding through his mind, Piccolo almost missed it. As Piccolo was looking up from his chest he caught the scenery out of the corner of his eye. _At last!_ _Here it is _he thought, _the place I was training Gohan. _This place he called home was an area filled with evil, savage, bloodthirsty dinosaurs, ancient ruins, and unknown terrors. _Ah! Home sweet home, _Piccolo thought as he floated to the ground._ ...The one and only place to train..._


	2. Encounter

~Chapter 1~  
  
Author's Note: Here the story begins! Not too much action yet, just a little fight scene as Piccolo is training. This basically introduces the characters and their traits. So so soooooo sorry, but I know Piccolo is a little out of character. *Sniffles* please don't hate me… If he's too horribly OOC then pllllleeeaaasssseeeee tell me how in an r/r or e-mail me. Anyhow, on wit da show! ~_^  
  
Disclaimer: insert various disclaimer blah which we all have memorized, here  
  
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Piccolo breathed slowly as he slept. He was leaning crookedly against an oak with crossed arms and a content look on his face. The sun was just beginning to show it's face over the horizon and the dew was collecting on the grass and trees. Piccolo woke when a droplet of water fell from a leaf above him onto his check. He was startled at fist and sprang up into fighting position. As he did this, he accidentally shook the tree and a barrage of water fell upon him as if it were raining. After the downpour was over he looked up and chuckled to himself as he walked off into the field to let the sun dry him off. He lay down on a hilltop and sighed as the sun's rays warmed him and lulled him into a brief slumber. He awoke about half an hour later and rose to his feet feeling refreshed. The sun was a good deal over the horizon now and the sky was a bright orange-yellow with pink highlights on the feathery clouds. After Piccolo shook himself off, he found a dry spot on the ground and began to do some warm up stretches. He decided he would battle with himself at five-hour intervals and 30 minute breaks in between until dusk.  
  
Piccolo got up off the ground and began to separate 3 of him self from his body.  
  
"We battle for five hours then take a thirty minute break," He stated. The other three nodded in unison. Then they all zoomed to the sky and began to fight the original. Piccolo punched and kicked with mind-boggling speed, sending two to the ground. He sent a Masinko blast at the third just as the other two came back up, and then they were all four at it again.  
  
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By the time the first five hours was up, Piccolo was battered and had a few broken bones, his shirt was gone and his shoes and pants legs were torn.  
  
"Maybe I went…*wince*…a little far for the first…day." He muttered silently with a heavy pant conceal the pain as he dragged himself over to the base of a cliff. There was a small brown pouch sitting there tied with a piece of rope, a gift from Korin. Piccolo fumbled with the rope knot then reached into the pouch and pulled out a senzu bean. He broke it in half and ate one of them, dropping the other back into the bag. The bean worked instantly and Piccolo felt the energy from the bean coarse through him like a tidle wave of life, setting his broken body back into place with near painless creaks and pops that he could feel within himself. Although his skin was still in bad shape, and he still had a headache, it was to be expected since he had only eaten half the bean.  
  
Piccolo turned and sat down, his back to the cliff. He began to use a few healing tricks he had picked up from Neil while he was on Namek. Soon enough he was back to almost perfect condition. The few injuries he had left were minor bruises, cuts and scratches, but he knew he could heal those with time, and they weren't worth wasting his energy on. He had to do something about his burns though, so he flew over to a lake and sank into it. The cold water was refreshing to him and he sat down and he sighed a little as the liquid ran all over him up to his bare chest and soothed his stinging skin. The water was ice cold but it felt so good that he just sat there and meditated while his burns were cleansed.  
  
After about thirty minutes, Piccolo decided he wasn't going to train any more until later that night. He needed to spend some time meditating and gathering his energy. What had before been a constant stinging reminder of why he was sitting there in the first place, was now very numb and he could no longer feel anything. Piccolo opened his eyes and started to get out of the river. As he happened to glance up stream, he saw a girl of about fifteen carrying a bucket up to the lake. She was very mildly tan and from what he could see, dark, wavy, shoulder-length brown hair. I didn't know any one lived around here. He thought as he watched the girl plunge the large bucket into the lake and waiting a moment before bringing it out brim full of water. Piccolo suddenly realized he was in her family's drinking water, and leapt out backwards. This movement was so sudden and unprecedented that it startled the girl as she was bringing the bucket of water up to land. She looked up so quickly for the cause that she lost her footing and tumbled down the bank into the swift moving current of the main water, leaving the huge bucket back on the bank. At first Piccolo thought she was going to need some help getting out as he watched her disappear under the rapid current. Then a hand shot up out of the water, and grasping onto the exposed root of an old maple tree, she pulled herself onto the bank. The girl rolled onto land, coughing a bit, but other wise all right.  
  
"Sorry." Piccolo gruffly stated telepathically to her, believing the incident required some sort of an apology on his part. Startled, the girl turned around quickly, gazing with amazed curiosity and even slight fear at him. H-how'd he do that? She wondered as she held his gaze only a moment longer before breaking away and staggering bewilderedly and dripping to her cargo left overturned on the riverside. Piccolo watched her slowly with his inquisitive liquid black eyes before he swiftly flew over the water and landed in front of her, stopping her in her tracks and making her jump with a small cry of shock.  
  
"What is it with you and scaring people senseless?" She asked quietly in a labored whisper with a frightened look on her face. She quickly glanced over the person standing in front of her. He was extremely tall, about seven foot was her estimate. He was bare at the chest and very well muscled. His clothes looked very tattered, and he appeared to be very scratched up and burned. …Wonder what he's been up to… She thought as she looked at his face. Except for the odd protrusions from his forehead and abnormally large, pointed ears, he wasn't at all that bad a looker. Even the ears seemed to frame his face in an appealing sense. Aside from all that, the thing she was really stuck on was the fact that he appeared to be a thick and unwavering shade of green. It wasn't an unpleasant color, just odd-looking to one so used to shades of peach. The young girl whimpered a little as her gaze fell back to his muscular forearms and she wondered what he was going to do with her.  
  
"Don't you know that it's dangerous out here?" Piccolo demanded gruffly, wondering why he was trying to play forest ranger. She got a confused look on her face and cautiously asked,  
  
"W-what do you mean?"  
  
"Don't play stupid." Piccolo growled turning to the side wondering why she sparked his curiosity so much. The girl was obviously at a loss of what to do in this position. She didn't know who this obviously powerful man was, or more importantly, what he was. The fact that he was directly questioning her in that dangerous sounding voice of his wasn't exactly helping either. She tried to respond, but it came out in a high-pitched squeak, so she embarrassedly cleared her throat and tried again.  
  
"I-I don't…t-there's not…w-we're fine. N-no troubles here since we came." She stammered wide-eyed. With a slight finishing nod to end the conversation as soon as possible, she skirted around behind him and walked shakily to her bucket, glancing back at him warily. Piccolo looked directly at her.  
  
"…You've been here awhile then?" He questioned, angry at himself for not noticing before. It wasn't that he cared about this girl, he only wondered why he hadn't seen anyone around before, and made a mental note to leave the area if any more humans showed up. The girl seemed to wince as she stopped and turned around once again.  
  
"W-why do you insist on knowing so much about me?" She asked bravely, gathering the bucket in her arms. Regaining his thoughts and wondering the same thing himself, Piccolo grunted and shrugged.  
  
"Just wondering…" He concluded quietly with a nod and then sped off too fast for her eyes to follow, so he seemed to have disappeared. The girl let out a small gasp and almost dropped her load again and quickly scrambled to regain her hold. I wonder who that was? She thought in amazement and slight fear as she adjusted her grip on the large bucket. After she filled up the bucket, she scanned the area once more, and quickly strode off into the woods.  
  
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Piccolo sat perched on a tree limb and watched the girl go about her business. I wonder who she is …he smirked as he saw the girl dipping the bucket into the water again and watching about warily for danger Most likely watching out for me. Humph…humans are such pathetic creatures…Slowly, the girl turned with her cargo and trotted off into the woods, trying not to spill anything but having a hard time. Piccolo stood up on the tree branch and stayed there for a moment watching the girl leave. If I want answers, I suppose I'll have to investigate…He leapt from the limb and casually flew after the girl, following her using his acute sense of hearing to track the sound of her footsteps. As he followed silently through the trees, he wondered what would happen if he read her mind, perhaps that would provide answers. No. He thought, that could prove both futile and frightening. I don't believe I really want to know her thoughts anyway…I'll make do easily without. After a pause, he began to wonder why this girl bothered him so much in the first placeguess I'll have to wait and find out…. He followed the girl through the forest for about ten more minutes before he caught sight of a clearing up ahead. He drooped quickly yet silently to the ground. Spotting the girl who was still treading through the forest, he quietly crept after her. Not long after, a house came into view. It looked something like a country house. It was a blue wooden house with white fringes and a large porch that wrapped itself around the front side of the house. He watched as the girl hurriedly entered the house and winced as the door slammed shut, for he had been listening hard to every move she'd been making. Crouching and keeping low profile, he carefully made his way closer to the girl's home. In a matter of minutes Piccolo had gotten close enough that he could hear every word spoken in the entire house with ease. This is so juvenile…He thought, leaning back against a tree to listen for any information on these new comers. He heard the voice of an older woman call out:  
  
'Kasei! Did you remember to get the fresh water?'  
  
'Yeah mom, it's right here.'  
  
: Shuffling of feet across wooden floor. Hears bucket being lifted:  
  
'Alright Kasei, you're free to go do as you please now.'  
  
'Okay.'  
  
: Hears feet begin to run up a flight of stairs, but then they stop:  
  
'Hey mom. Does anyone else live around here?'  
  
: Sounds as if from a different room. Piccolo assumes the kitchen:  
  
'No. Not that I know of. Ask your dad when he comes home.'  
  
: Footsteps resume going swiftly upstairs. Older woman's voice:  
  
'Why?'  
  
:steps stop:  
  
'Oh, no reason, I was just wondering. Why did we move out here anyway?'  
  
'Your father was relocated, remember?'  
  
'K. I'll be in my room.'  
  
:Footsteps reach the top of the stairs. Woman replies.:  
  
'Alright.'  
  
:Door opens and shuts. Piccolo waits, hears nothing but soft music coming from the second floor and running water coming from the kitchen:  
  
Piccolo frowned and let out a small sigh as he stood. "Kasei huh? Well, that didn't help much." He sighed again, and crouching slightly, snuck away at a silent run. After about ten seconds, he was deep enough into the forest to fly off without being seen.  
  
After he returned to the waterside, Piccolo settled down cross-legged beneath the shade of a tree, dipping in and out of meditation. After a few more attempts to maintain his concentration, he released a frustrated breath and leaned back heavily against the tree he was sitting under, his expression plastered in an aggravated frown.  
  
There's something about that girl… he thought, something… Piccolo mumbled a curse to himself in frustration at his inability to concentrate, and then climbed to his feet after an unsteady pause to resume training.  
  
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Okay, okay. So it probably wasn't the most interesting thing you've ever read. But at least tell me if I did all right! A review would be nice. And again, I know Piccolo was way OOC, but I had to get this thing started somehow, right? Not too many flames please. Just tell me what you think of my style or something since I know this chapter doesn't give you much to go on ^^. The next chapter is almost complete, and I'll post it up soon. Till then, I'm going to remind you that reviews keep me going!! ~_^6 


	3. Decisions

Well, I got the chapter up! Nothing much to say, I just hope you enjoy it. Still kinda into introductions, but hopefully by the end of the chapter you will at least have a very vague idea of what Kasei is like. And just in case you can't envision her yet, no worries. This first fic is only supposed to warm you up to the characters working together and how their moods will be set throughout all of my other fics. The sad thing is, I started on this fic and then left it here and did 13 or so chapters of the fic following this one! Sorry, but when ideas come…they come! ^_^6 anyhow, I intend to get through this fic (with help from your ideas of coarse, ~_^) and edit and complete the other before posting any others in this series. So please give me some ideas and review!!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own it and blah, blah, blah, you know the rest. -_-6 Oh wait, I DO however claim ownership to my 2nd character, Siriana Tomodatchi(Kasei's lil sister) She's introduced in this chapter, so it's not much of a spoiler. ~_^  
  
~ Chapter 2 ~  
  
Kasei lay in bed trying to reach sleep. It was almost 2:00 A.M. and she had been tossing all night. That guy…She thought with uncertainty. Who was he? Kasei shuddered and flopped over again in her bed. It's creeping me out so bad…Though she had tried, her encounter with the strange man from earlier had played dead weight on her mind and she could not, no matter how hard she tried, be shaken from her thoughts for very long. I need to call someone tomorrow…She paused and thought awhile before recalling her thought. No…no, I want to figure this out on my own. She continued tossing fitfully until finally she became so worn out that she simply dropped into light slumber.  
  
The next morning, Kasei was awoken as usual by her mother's call from downstairs for breakfast. Sleepily, Kasei crawled out of bed and plodded down the stairs towards the kitchen.  
  
"Morning mom…" she called lazily as she flopped into the chair at the table, rubbing her eyes.  
  
"Morning." Kasei's mother replied without looking up from the oven. "I've got to go in today, so you're on your own with Siri." She looked up, knowing Kasei's tendency to leave and go out for walks when no one was around the house. "Don't go too far from home, alright?"  
  
Kasei nodded in reply, reaching for the cheerios and pulling a bowl towards her as well.  
  
"Sure mom, I wont."  
  
"I'll call at about noon, so try to be home by then." Her mother picked up the sizzling pan of eggs, salted them, and plopped them down on a hot pad in front of her daughter. Hastily, she washed her hands and grabbed her purse off the counter before turning to leave.  
  
"Bye." She called over her shoulder as she opened the door.  
  
"Bye mom. Have a good day." Kasei replied in a tired tone without looking up as she poured some milk into her cereal. Her mother stepped through the door and shut it quickly. She must be running late Kasei thought. I hope I didn't hold her up She crunched half-heartedly on her breakfast as she heard her mother's car sputter and then fire up into a lively hum as it shifted gears with a creak and backed out of the driveway with the sound of crunching gravel trailing before it pulled off into and down the road. Kasei sat at the table for a while listening to the sounds of the empty house accompanied by the faint sound of bird songs drifting in through an open window somewhere. Lazily, Kasei scooped half of the pan of eggs into the empty plate in front of her. Taking another spoonful of Cheerios before pushing her chair back to stand, picking up the dish, she walked to the back door with it. As she opened the door and stepped out side, she heard the rapid clicking of toenails on the cement before she was barreled into by a white blur.  
  
"Corky! Get down, boy! Down!" Kasei exclaimed with a laugh as her two-year old cocker spaniel jumped up and down frantically trying to get at her face and the contents of the plate. Kasei laughed again and poured the still warm, moist eggs into his dog dish. He immediately dove into the meal, shoving his dish back with his nose in his excitement, wagging his stubby little tail so hard as he ate that his entire rear shook. Kasei smiled with humor at her 'little baby' and sat down to pet him as he devoured the food in haste as if it would disappear if he didn't get it all down fast enough. As soon as she sat and began stroking him, her mind began to wander and turned to the events of the previous day—and what she intended to do about them. I want to go back. The thought just suddenly popped into her mind out of nowhere and caught her completely off guard. She had previously had no intentions of going near that place again unless she had to. The secluded valley in which her family lived made her feel uneasy at having such an apparently dangerous stranger so close. Why would she want to go back? Suddenly she was shaken from her thoughts as her dog launched himself at her and began licking her face in vigor.  
  
"Corky dog!" She laughed, trying half-heartedly to brush him off. "Stop it baby!" She stood up, forcing him to drop to all fours and he looked around for something that she could throw for him. He spotted his favorite squeaky toy, shaped like a sub sandwich, and pounced, chewing on it as he waddled back to her in innocent glee, causing the toy to squeak with each gnaw.  
  
"Aw…"Kasei crooned kneeling down to pet his head, "I'm sorry puppy. I can't play right now." She stood up, much to Corky's dismay, and opened the door. His tail ceased its wagging as he dropped his head and let his toy fall to the ground with a final squeak as it hit and bounced away. Kasei melted at the sight and bent down and kissed him on the top of his head, ruffling his fur a bit before walking back inside, closing the door, and trying not to notice his hurt look as he pressed his snout up against the glass and fogged it with his breath.  
  
Kasei wandered through the house aimlessly and restless, not knowing what she should do. She was really afraid of him, and the thought of approaching this man for no reason didn't exactly appeal to her. After lapping the house ten times over she came to the uneasy conclusion that maybe she should go out for a hike and head in that direction, that way she could relax her mind and watch out for him at the same time. Because despite all her worries, she was dying to know more about this mysterious person. She wanted to know so many things. Who was he? Why was he out there? How could he disappear like that? How long had he lived there? And why the hell was he green?! Knowing she would be badgered by her conscience all day if she didn't investigate, she hurriedly raced up the stairs to gather her gear.  
  
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As she exited her room, she un-strapped the backpack, and sat it down to inspect her gear one more. Unzipping the tough brown leather bag, she peeled it open and dug around in its contents. Bug repellent…check. Hat…check. First Aid Kit…double check. Water bottles…check. Snacks…check. Okay… She thought with a sigh, putting on her game face. Here we go… Kasei zipped the bag back up and swung it back over her shoulders. She began to walk determinedly down stairs when she suddenly stopped and mentally kicked herself. Siriana! She thought, shaking her head in dismay at her absent-mindedness as she lumbered back up the stairs. I completely forgot…what am I supposed to do with her? Kasei reached the top and turned left towards her younger sister's bedroom. I can't just leave her here…but it's too dangerous to take her with me. What if we get into trouble..? Kasei swallowed as she thought of all the terrors which they could possibly encounter out in the wilderness as she slowly opened the door to Siriana's room.  
  
"Siri? Siri, you awake?" Kasei called out using her little sister's nickname as she scanned the room for a clue to her whereabouts. That's odd. Kasei thought Where is she? . The baffled Kasei turned from the area and walked back down the flight of steps. As she reached the bottom, she heard soft playful music coming from the kitchen. Curious, yet expectantly, she walked across the hallway and saw Siri sitting at the counter on a barstool, swinging her feet merrily back and forth, she was listening to some tape full of little kid songs coming from her Little Tyke® tape player. Kasei smiled and walked up to her sister who, as she saw, had taken the liberty of finishing off her Cheerios for her.  
  
"Hey Siri." Kasei said, plopping down on a stool next to hers.  
  
"Hi!" The little five year old girl chirped happily. Siri grinned up at Kasei, unintentionally striking a strong resemblance to her older sister. Her dark brown curl hair puffed out in a slight poof behind her head, coming down to about the middle of her neck, and her chin-length bangs were perfectly straight, (a natural tendency of hers that Kasei wished she possessed) neatly framing her large, laughing brown eyes. She was slender and tall for her age as well, another attribute Kasei wished she had. Kasei grinned back down at her thinking how beautiful Siri was going to be when she grew up.  
  
"Hey, I'm going out for a walk in a minute, you wanna join me?" Kasei asked, hopeful.  
  
"Sure!" Siri squealed, knowing the opportunity to be around her sister didn't come up often. Kasei smiled at her eagerness.  
  
"Alright, I've got everything we'll need with me. Are you done eating?" She asked. Siri nodded, an excited grin still plastered to her face.  
  
"Good." Kasei smiled. "Go get changed into shorts and a t-shirt, and then come back down as soon as you're ready, Alright?"  
  
"Got it!" Siri called back as she scampered up the stairs. Kasei shook her head and sighed as she watched her go and then she glanced at her watch. 8:05…  
  
"Better get moving." She muttered as she cleared off the counter and moved over to wait by the door for her sister.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
I know, I know. It was kinda short. Gomen Nasai! But life demands that I get my lazy butt away from the computer. Well…that and my mom ^^6 heh heh…but who's counting? Ahem anyway, I have very few ideas on where to go from here. So your thoughts are greatly appreciated. I hope you aren't too fed up with me yet. ^^ C ya. 


	4. Explorer

Author's Note: This one's mostly a filler. I haven't updated in awhile because I'm suffering from a severe case of writer's block. This chapter just tells about how the sisters are starting out to look for everyone's favorite green guy when…well, yeah. I'm just gonna try and go from here… I'm not expecting you to enjoy this one so much, so go ahead and flame me if you want. ^_^ Hey, at least I'll know someone's reading this, right?  
  
Disclaimer: same old same old…  
  
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~Explorer~  
  
Piccolo looked up from his meditation inquisitively as he sensed a very small pair of ki that had been meandering around all morning in his general direction. Only now, it seemed as though the initial wandering had ceased and they were advancing slowly towards him. Piccolo concentrated for a moment, thinking that he recognized one of them from somewhere, and then it hit him and he smirked. So…she came back after allPiccolo thought to himself as he closed his eyes and eased back into meditating position, his face erased of emotion. That means your little expedition yesterday was useless. He opened his eyes and looked thoughtful as he briefly wondered who the other might be and then shook his head and grunted as he rose to 'greet' them. I don't have time for this….   
  
~*~*~*  
  
They trudged aimlessly through the hot undergrowth panting and sweating badly in the summer heat. They had started out careful and quiet, trying to hide from view, but as the hours wore on, Kasei had become restless and paranoia began to sink in as she stumbled on through the thick brush leading her grumpy sister on.  
  
"Kasei" Siriana whined as only a tired five year old can " When are we gonna stop? I'm hungry." Kasei rolled her eyes at her sister's complaint and glanced at her watch. It read 10:30. Kasei sighed as she pushed on, her boots loudly snapping twigs and rustling dead leaves as sweat trickled down her brow. Maybe I should have gone the other way… She thought as she stopped and looked around, pretty sure she was going in the right direction but agonizing at how long it was taking. She hadn't wanted to go back to the river the same short way she had gone before, even though it was a much easier, and more thoroughly tread path. Her fears of the tall stranger, having no wish to be realized, gave her the option of going the long way around—which she took. Kasei dropped her pack to the ground and then plopped down under the scant shade of a twisted old birch tree, pulling the water bottles out of her backpack. While not cold, they were still quite cool compared to the scorching weather, and she handed on to Siri, who had settled herself on a relatively bare area a few feet away. Hastily Kasei twisted off the cap and took a few grateful swallows, before pulling the bottle away with a slight slurping sound and exhaling as you would after taking a nice, satisfying drink. Siri was gulping hers down rapidly when Kasei glanced over and had almost finished half of the bottle. Kasei quickly screwed the lid back onto hers and put it in her bag so it would stay as cool as possible.  
  
"Siri, don't drink too much of that now!" Kasei scolded. "You'll be wanting more later only to find you haven't got any." Siri felt like ignoring Kasei, but thought about it, and pulled her lips away. She twisted the cap on and handed it back to Kasei, who placed it in her pack and, zipping it up and swinging it onto her back, stood up and started brushing herself off. After a few more seconds of resting, Siri did the same.  
  
"You still haven't told me where we're going Kasei." Siri whined as they started trekking again. Kasei sighed.  
  
"We're, uh…going to see a friend." Kasei responded as she began whispering. " And, we're … going to sneak up on him, so you have to be really quiet, ok? We're almost there." Siri suddenly grew interested and crouched as she moved along behind Kasei.  
  
"Ok." She whispered back. The two moved without talking for a few more minutes, brushing away flies and pushing tree limbs out of their faces. The sun was high in the sky and it was almost 11:00 when they finally reached the tree line. In front of them now, was a huge expanse of tall yellow grass, waving about in the slight breeze that they hadn't been able to feel in the forest. Kasei stopped and looked around trying to get her bearings He could be anywhere. She thought and then wanted to mentally kick herself. Kasei you are the biggest dolt in the world!! He probably already knows you're here. Her paranoia began to kick in again. Oh why did we come out here? This is all stupid!! Spinning around, Kasei Grabbed Siri's arm, and headed Northeast in the direction of the river.  
  
"C'mon Siri….we're going back." Kasei said shakily.  
  
"B-But," Siri stammered as she stumbled along behind Kasei trying to keep up and avoid being dragged. "Why?"  
  
"Because we, uh…" Kasei glanced at her watch, which read 11:05 as she continued to stomp swiftly through the grasses. "Because we have to be home soon."  
  
"Well can I…at least….walk…on…my own?!" Siri panted, sprinting to keep up with Kasei. Kasei stopped and dropped her sister's wrist.  
  
"Sorry Siri." Kasei muttered apologetically. "But we need to be there soon, so please be quick." That said, Kasei spun on her heel and tromped back off though the tall straw-like grass, and with a swish she was gone. Siri had her hands on her knees and was bent over gasping for breath. When she heard Kasei's footsteps moving off she quickly looked up and her face whitened at the sight of endless tawny yellow stalks towering up all around her. Being only five, the grasses more that covered her view with their height of almost five feet.  
  
"Kasei?" She called out quietly only to be answered by the rustle of the grasses as they brushed scratchily against one another in the wind.  
  
"Kasei wait!! Where are you?" Siri called as she began to run, her heart pounding wildly in her chest for fear of being lost.  
  
"Kasei!!" Tears formed in her eyes as she plunged blindly through the endless sea of yellow hoping to find her sister. As does the mind of most scared children, she began to wonder what would happen if she never found Kasei. Her mind lingered on how cold it got at night and what kinds of things would hurt in the dark when all of a sudden she ran smack into something hard and fell backwards onto her back. She bit her lip and put a hand to her head.  
  
"Ow!" Siri cried as she looked up to see what obstruction she had found. Her eyes suddenly widened in shock and then she shrank back in terror with a gasp in fear at the silhouette of a tall dark being who's features she couldn't make out against the dark shadow caused by the sun. Siri screamed and scrambled on her hands and knees to get away. The figure just stood there, unmoving as she scampered backwards, disappearing with a swish of grasses. As soon as the tall dead stalks blocked her view of the dark man, she jumped up and ran as hard as she could, stumbling over roots and brushing aside the thick plant growth as she went.  
  
"Kasei!!" She yelled with a choking sob in her throat as she fumbling along as fast as she could, her heart pummeling against her chest as tears began to glisten in her eyes. "Kasei!!"  
  
The sounds of pounding feet and swishing plants could be heard quickly approaching the frightened child, accompanied by a worried voice.  
  
"Siri?! Siri where are you?" The voice got louder and louder as did the thumping of shoes rapidly beating against earth. Suddenly Kasei burst through a wall of grass right next to Siri and she bent down and scooped her up into her arms quickly.  
  
"Oh you scared me!" Kasei scolded as she hugged her shivering sibling, holding a hand behind Siri's head and pressing it into her shoulder as she embraced her. "Don't ever do that again!"  
  
"Kasei, " She sniffed, still trembling as she pulled away from her sister, though still in her arms, her eyes brimming with wetness. "There was a scary man." Siri whimpered. Kasei knew in an instant who Siri was talking about and her eyes widened at the thought of him being nearby. Quickly she spun all around to look, but saw no one.  
  
"W-what did he look like, Siri?" Kasei stammered quietly as she continued to nervously scan over the tops of the grass for who she assumed to be their pursuer.  
  
"I couldn't see him." Came the muffled replied before Siri lifted her face from Kasei's shoulder and looked up. "Let's go home now." She sniveled in an upset tone as she stared at Kasei through watery eyes. "I'm scared. I wanna go home." Kasei sighed as she glanced out of the corner of her eye and nodded.  
  
"Yeah. Me to." She stated quietly as she began to detach Siri from her body and put her down. Siri shrieked and kicked wildly to be let back up.  
  
"No!" She cried in fright as Kasei complied and lifted her back up and she re-snuggled her head into Kasei's shoulder.  
  
"It's alright," Kasei soothed in a hushed tone as she began to walk swiftly towards an area with which she was more familiar and soon recognized to be the river bank and quickened her pace before glancing at her watch. 11:20….we'll be there in no time. She thought as the land began to rise a little and the grass became sparser.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Piccolo winced a little as the tiny five-year old beneath him screamed. He watched in annoyance as the girl crawled clumsily away in panic, sobbing pitifully. Pathetic…. He thought as he floated upwards looking around for the child's elder a look of sheer irritation playing on his features. He spotted the older girl, Kasei, not far off from her sister, working her way as quickly as possible towards the sound of the child's screams. Piccolo had initially intended to confront the girl and warn her not to bother him. Despite his odd and peaking curiosity, he suspected it was simply from lack of recent contact with anyone other than his fellow Chikyuu warriors and dismissed his uncharacteristic forwardness from the previous day as a fluke. Maybe she'll leave me alone from now on…. Piccolo thought as he sped away back towards his training grounds, in hopes of now succeeding with his meditation.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
I know that one was probably pretty boring as well, and I'm surprised at myself for the lack of Piccolo POV so far. Sorry. Hopefully that wont happen as often any more. I tried to make this one a little longer to make up for my lack of chapter update recently, but I'm not sure if it worked. ^^6 Anyhow, please don't be too fed up with this story yet!! It WILL get better, I promise! This fic and the following have a lot of action in them, but it just takes me awhile to get myself going that's all. ~.^ r/r please! I don't care if they're good or bad, it just keeps me writing to know ppl actually read my stuff!! 


	5. Spirited

Author's Note: Hi again! Dang...it's been awhile. Sorry `bout that ^^6 Well....if SOMEONE wouldn't write such good fics...*cough* Jessibelle67, Piccolo0714, Namek Kaia, and Vegetas Princess*cough cough*...Then I wouldn't be forced to spend so much time reading and so little time typing. ~.^ Anyhow, here I go again for the few of you who are reading this. Hopefully I will be inspired to figure out a way to get this fic moving so I can post the others up already. Any ideas are gladly welcomed and will be taken into consideration. ****Hint* That means leave ideas in your reviews or something!!*** Ahem. Anyways, On with the story!  
  
Disclaimer: I own my two characters Kasei and Siriana Tomodatchi...nothing more. If I did, I wouldn't be living here because all I owned would be pawned to raise enough money to get out of this house and AWAY from my annoying-to-the-point-of-death little brothers!!! *cough* *regains composure* Anyhow...I do mention Enya in here....somewhere, but by no means am I claiming rights to her or her music.  
  
*~*Chapter 4*~* Spirited  
  
Kasei dashed into her home with Siri in tow, practically dangling by the hand as her older sister dragged her along. Kasei was running, partly because of the fear she felt for her younger sibling and her self that harm may come to them from the tall green man--but some for the fear of not being there when her mother called. She dashed up the steps, pulling Siri along behind and as soon as she had pulled herself and her little sister into the house, Kasei shut the door and locked it. Sighing, she leaned against the door, panting heavily, and waiting for her heart to beat normally again. Siri was breathing heavily as well, but not near as hard because she had hardly run at all, having been airborne half the time on the short trek towards their house.  
  
"Um...Kasei?" Siri began after a time had passed. "...Why'd we go out?"  
  
Kasei looked down at her little sister and smiled weakly.  
  
"I was going to meet somebody, remember? Only I changed my mind." Kasei replied, ending her phrase quietly as she brushed past Siri into the kitchen hearing the phone began to ring, leaving a slightly perplexed Siri behind. Glancing at her watch as she went, it was a few minutes past twelve and she sighed in some relief, knowing it was most likely her mother calling. She walked slowly over to the counter at the third ring and picked up the beige cord phone from the portable receiver.  
  
"Hello?" Kasei stammered weakly, still light headed from the run.  
  
"Hi. Just checking in. Did you finish all of your chores yet?" Her mother asked.  
  
"Um...not exactly, but I'm working on it." Kasei replied a bit waveringly as she began doing the dishes as she talked.  
  
"Ok. But don't forget to do them, all right? And I want them all done now, ok?" Came the demanding response.  
  
"Yes mom..." Kasei replied tiredly. "I'll get right on it."  
  
"Good." Came the curt reply. "Well, see you tonight! Bye!"  
  
"Bye." Kasei muttered as she hung up the phone and dropped her head against the cupboard lightly, leaning on it with a tiresome sigh of a groan. After a few moments, she felt a tap from behind her and glanced lazily over her shoulder to look down at her younger sister.  
  
"What's wrong?" Siri asked in a high-pitched tone that expressed her worry. Kasei shook her head and turned to face her completely as she knelt down.  
  
"Nothing. But listen, you have to promise not to tell mommy about anything that we did today. Ok?" Kasei told her firmly. Siri's eyes widened.  
  
"You want me to lie to mommy?" She said disbelievingly as if there were no greater evil. Kasei sighed and glanced upwards as if asking the heavens for patience.  
  
"No...I want you to not tell her everything unless you absolutely have to. If she asks, say that we went on a walk to the river. Alright?" As she looked back down at Siri's expression she tried again.  
  
"It won't be a lie...it'll be like....like a secret. Just between you and me. No one else can know, that way it's special." Kasei said adding a smile of confidence in for effect.  
  
"Well...ok. As long as it's a secret." The child hushed her voice, her face taking on all seriousness of a five-year old. "But you can't tell anyone either. OK?" Siri demanded, reprimanding Kasei as if she just knew that Kasei was going do something to screw everything up. Kasei willed her face to take on a look of outward forwardness as she laughed inwardly.  
  
"Ok." She whispered back to her sibling as they crouched there on the floor under the shadow of the counter by the wall. "I'll be in my room if you need me, ok?" Kasei said in her still quiet, military-like voice. Siri nodded and then ran off upstairs to do some serious playing. Kasei grinned as she rose to her feet and walked slowly up the flight of steps to her room to think about what to do, completely forgetting about her obligation to the duty of her chores.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Kasei woke up about mid-afternoon later that day. She had fallen asleep in her bed to some soft Enya music. She rolled over slowly in the warm blankets, not wanting to leave the comfortable confines of her room when she suddenly sat bolt upright in bed.  
  
"Ah crap!" She leapt out of her covers and landed on the floor, sprinting down the hallway and into the kitchen to finish the dishes that she had started earlier. As she scrubbed she glanced at her watch. `...5:15?! Awww man.....' Kasei thought with a sigh, knowing her mother would be home in less than an hour. She put into high gear, and as soon as she finished loading the dishwasher, she went and vacuumed the entire downstairs area, watered all the plants, cleaned the lower bathroom, did some laundry, and mopped the kitchen floor. Panting and heaving a sigh, she plopped down onto the couch, looking at her watch once more, `6:03....phew....mom'll be home any minute now....' She stood up and started straightening the living room just for good measure as she thought about any chore she might've overlooked. Kasei about smacked herself in the head when she remembered she had to wash the dog, and she turned tail to the back door to get him. Grabbing his leash and flinging the  
back door open, the dog jumped, startled at the suddenness, for he had been curled sleeping right in front of it. Quickly, Kasei snapped the leash onto his collar, trying to avoid his licking tongue and muddy paws that groped at her, and she hefted him up into her arms so he wouldn't dirty the floor. Shutting the door with her behind, she dashed to the upstairs bathroom and shut the door....just as her mother pulled into the driveway.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The next morning, Piccolo woke up in his usual meditating area at the base of a very high sandy cliff. Dew was still collecting on the ground, and the sun just barely visible over the horizon, casting its shadows of pink and purple and splashing them across the sky. A few birds chirped as crickets sang their last verses of the night before the light came and forced them into the dark security of nature's blanket. Piccolo rose to his feet, shaking the collecting droplets off of himself before powering up slowly, letting the warm rush of his ki engulf him, psyching him up for another day of hard training for whatever may lie ahead. That was his life, it seemed. Even with the comfort of a few friends in this world such as Gohan, he continued to drift into his old routine of endless training and meditating preparations for the imminent battles to come. Yet he had to. Some instinctive drive within him, set from his cloned birth, told him to keep pushing, to strive for and reach  
that goal. Having been brought into this world with no other set purpose than to improve himself mentally and physically, that was exactly what he intended to do--all he could do.  
  
As soon as the measured power up was completed, he darted off into the sky with a boost of energy, to search out a more secluded place to meditate and focus his thoughts so that he could concentrate on becoming stronger--more complete. Skimming through the treetops at a somewhat leisurely pace, he searched with his eyes and mind for a spot when he could not possibly be interrupted by the inquiries of the girl or any other for that matter. `The girl...' He thought. `...why does she enter my mind yet again?' Such questions were futile, and he once again blamed it absent-mindedly on mere curiosity or annoyance, and shoved the thought aside once more, as he continued the slow quest for his ideal location. Soon enough, he had found a quiet area by a still-water pool, teeming with life, but silent none-the-less. Trees and brush surrounded the small water source hungrily, creating a natural blind to any who might look upon the place; made to see it as nothing more than thick  
undergrowth in the middle of a forest and would think no more of it as they casually passed by. There was another advantage to the small shrouded area, and it was that the location was on a tall rise that, if one traveled far enough, ended in a minor cliff or over-hang. This putting even less-likeliness into his favor that any would intrude upon him. Satisfied with his finding, he dropped through the densely packed tops of the trees surrounding the small oasis, casting away all bright sunlight, and landed in a crouch. From this position, he melted into a sitting one, and within the bat of an eyelash, had begun to levitate, his mind so trained that he had mechanically slipped into meditation.  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
Kasei crept down the stairs, silent and stealthy as a cat so as not to wake a soul. She was to sneak out as quickly as possible and head towards the riverbed again. As frightened as she was, this was like an unfolding adventure to her, dark, mysterious, and very dangerous--yet thrilling, just as it should be. Having spent the first week of Summer break lying about the house, she was more than ready to get active. And what better way to do so than sneaking out at 6:30 for  
  
"...an early-morning walk..." Kasei scratched down hurriedly with the pen, mumbling the note to herself. "...I'll be back at around eight. I've got some shopping to do down town, and I want to beat the morning rush..." She paused for a moment, hating to lie to her parents, but could think of no other excuse to go out so early. Her parents knew her for morning trips out of doors, but rarely before they were awake. She only prayed that they wouldn't be upset with her. "...I'm sorry if I've done something wrong, and I promise to do the rest of my chores when I get back. Love, Kasei." She lay the pen down beside the note on the bar where her mother was sure to see it, and walked out of the house. Today she sported a fanny-pack rather than the backpack from the previous day. All she needed with her was the water bottle and her house key since she didn't plan to be gone for long. She wouldn't need to be. Kasei was set and determined to find out about this person trying to ignore  
the shaking weakness in her legs and the rapid pummel of her heart every time she thought about going back. Her brain screamed at her to stay home and safe, flashing mental images of his muscular body and stern features, but her curiosity always go the better of her. `I mean...how often is it that you're going to discover that you're next-door neighbor to a green man?' She thought, playing the excuse for her departure once more to ensure her troubled brain the correctness of her decision. `...and without Siri along, if you keep quiet, he probably wont even notice you.' It was no use, her heart still beat at a mile a second, telling her somehow that this was the day she would come face to face with the being, knowing that the odds of seeing him were so much greater than before, she knew that the nervous butterflies in her stomach had to be giddiness or something of that nature for the almost guaranteed success of this venture. She strode to the door, and quietly opened it  
just enough to allow her passage, and once outside, shutting it without a creak to lock it. "no turning back now.' She thought with determination as she turned the key into and out of the lock, securing the door. `Confidently' she stumbled noisily down the steps, landing in a heap at the foot of the porch. Picking herself up off the ground, she dashes off into the nearby tree line in a hurry, limping as she went.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
WOOHOO!!!! I finished the fourth chapter!!!! My continual existence and ability to write has been proven!!!!! Okay yeah, well anyway...I'm still suffering a bit from writers block, but it is gradually lifting, and I hope to have the next chapter up ASAP....of coarse...I said that last time, and look what happened. ^^6 Anyways, I hope you guys don't hate me *too* much, and I will most definitely attempt to put up the next (and hopefully more exciting) chapter soon. Thanx for reading, and plz review if you can. -^.^- till next time!  
  
Peace, Love, and Piccolo,  
  
~Kasei 


	6. Discovered

Author's Note:….Oi….And yet, the Writer's block continues to relentlessly plague me…-_-6…*sigh* I apologize up front for this chapter. Not only was it late(as usual) but completely un-fulfilling as well. Oh well*shrug*. Flame me if you like, but hey, at least I got a chapter out. ^^6 Well anyhow, Here it goes…I hope you find some relative enjoyment in this since yet _again_ nothing happens but me trying to prolong this with description ~-^.  
  
Disclaimer: Ya know…. sometimes I really wonder what the point of this is. I mean obviously I don't own DBZ, or Piccolo, or anything else but my own characters—which in itself is obvious because of the evident poor character development. And no one is actually going to take the time to figure out who I am, where I live, and just so happen to be one of the people who reads this and be just insane enough to track me down and sue me. But anywayz, yeah. DBZ ain't mine, it belongs to Akari Toriyama and FUNimation Studios. I own only Kasei and Siriana Tomodatchi…and even then, they aren't copyrighted, so there's really not much I can do about theft anyway except to ask you not to use them…at least not without asking first. ~.^  
  
~Chapter 2~ Answers  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
It was almost 7:00 AM before Kasei reached the waterfront. It had been so hard for her to see in the dim morning light that she had to be very careful as to not stray off the path. She tried to focus intently on her goal rather than think about the consequences she was sure to receive from the alien being. So many questions though, that's what ran through her mind as she had trudged onward in the 6 o'clock morning dim, trying to reach the river. It didn't even enter her mind until she got there that she would need to cross the water.  
  
"…ugh…."She plopped down in the damp grass at the water's edge. "Great…now what?" She asked aloud, very frustrated. 'I was SO SURE today would be the day!! There's gotta be a way to get across…' She rested for only a moment or so longer before taking up her quest again as she attempted to followed the river to its source, looking for a thinner area to cross by. The morning sun gleamed warmly, just hovering over the orange and pink- blanketed horizon. As she continued her trek upstream, the trees began to grow heavier, the forest thicker, vegetation growing right up to the water's edge forcing her to walk between them through spider webs and scratchy bramble. As she struggled through the inner undergrowth, she eventually came to a wall of dirt and rock. Looking up the steep incline, she saw that it was about ten foot high and dropped off at the water's edge creating an odd overhang. Seeing no other option, she began working her way towards the base where the cliff met ground so she could walk around or over it. Many minutes passed as Kasei was having trouble with the dense underbrush as she worked her way back along the sloping rocky wall and away from the security of the water's edge which she could no longer see. 'Maybe following wasn't such a good idea...' Kasei thought with a sigh as she came also to the realization that there was no turning back now, but the cliff's height had seemingly dropped to about five foot, almost her height, lightening her mood slightly. And by standing on her toes, she could see all that inhabited the incline were many more trees, though not as dense as the part she currently traveled through, and she was anxious to get there. As the rise dropped more, to about four foot, she jumped it by grasping the top with her dirty, scratched up hands, and getting a foot hold with her right foot, swung the other leg over the top, and hoisted herself up. She sat for a moment or two with her legs dangling over the side so she could regain her breath from the hour or so of hard hiking and glanced at her watch. '…7:36…not too bad…I'll have to hurry though if I wanna make it back in time…' Kasei thought, deciding that the break was over, and, getting to her feet, she began walking briskly up the rise to get a good view on where she was. Contrary to the steep walls, the actual mount of the cliff was a very gentle slope, and as she looked on to her left, she was surprised to see that the land oriented out at a generally level pace. The lush tress, full in bloom, spread out for miles, and the 'cliff' she was on seemed to spread out endlessly all along the narrowing riverside. She tried to remain very quiet through this part of her stroll as she listened to the gleeful songbirds singing their heart out in the cool morning air. The spongy green moss covering the spacious forest floor left her footsteps silent as she continued towards her destination. Many minutes later her walk, though still vigorous, had lead her high enough on the mount that she could see for miles in all directions if she stood in a certain spot amidst the unusually large clearing.  
  
"Ok…" Kasei muttered with a sigh as she scrutinized the area, looking for any familiar signs of her green antagonism or the way home. "…Where to go…. " A slight breeze started up and tousled her hair playfully as she sat down to think about what she should do next. 'Okay Kasei, think…where would you be if you were a tall, strong, scary-looking green man…?' After a short pause Kasei almost laughed at herself as she rose back to her feet '…baka…' she thought, turning to her left. She knew that if she continued in her former direction she would just end up at the cliff, so since she was pretty much dead meat when she got home anyway, she figured she might as well do as much exploring as possible. Fervently, yet with orthodox silence, she began her quick step once more to find out about the mysterious creature that she sought. The wind was coming stronger now from her left didn't bother her but for the fact it ruffled and completely destroyed her well-combed curls, causing them more tangles and more inevitable trouble than she was willing to acknowledge. Yet as she continued her quest, she began to notice something as she was looking around her right after she noted the strengthening of the breeze. While the wind was hitting her left side, if she looked up at nearby trees, the current seemed to be sweeping up into them, which wouldn't have been such a big deal until she noticed that the air stream slowly changed direction as she moved. Not drastically, yet it was coming now from an angle to the left side of her back. 'Weird…' Kasei thought with a confused look as she backtracked a ways, which wasn't hard because all of this had occurred within the time frame of about two minutes. Just as she thought, when she went back, the wind returned to its original direction. Her eyebrows furrowed and she hummed a confused and slightly frustrated note before deciding to investigate. As she walked forward, she noticed a clump of tall trees and bushes that seemed to be swaying slightly outward, this assumption she could only make from the fact that each plant was leaning a slightly different direction than another. Quietly as possible, she crept up low and closer. There was a thick tree lingering right over the edge of the small grouping of foliage, and she slinked forward to it. First she leaned against the back of it, shaded from the view of any who might inhabit the circle as she leaned upward on her toes trying to see over the thick plants. All she could see was a small rippling pool of water and she plopped back to the ground wearing a disappointed look on her face. Nonetheless, she pursued, skulking low and trying to keep her breath quiet as she approached.  
  
There! She had leaned over and seen something just below the edges of one of the bushes. Suddenly she felt her body thrown hard back against the tree from which she had just traveled as if by a swift and unseen force. Instantly as her back made contact with the trunk, something pieced her side and there was a bright, hot yellow light burning in her face. But pain shot through her from the stab wound and she cried out in shock and pain as tears squeezed through her eyes shut tight from the light and the throbbing pain. Her right arm, dangling by her side, brushed against splintered wood emerging from her skin and she could feel warm fluid –blood –seeping through her shirt and trickling down her back. When she braved to open her eyes, though breathing through teeth clenched from immense pain, she heard a gruff voice speaking but couldn't understand what he was saying. Her hearing was fogged over by the sound of her brain humming with the painful nerve impulses. She cried out once more, though muffled and weak as she was moved and after that she blacked out, having heard nothing and seen only one thing –green.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Yeah ok, so something did happen. I'm trying my hand at cliffys, can you tell? -^^- Hey, I was proud of myself, even though I know I'm not as good as most. And yes, I know. This chapter is REALLY short. But I've been feeling so bad lately about not posting that I just _had_ to put something up! ^^6 ok, this time, I'm not making any promises as to when the next chapter will be out. You all know me, so I'm pretty sure you can guess. But HOPEFULLY, since I have some ideas now, it will be soon. The only opportunities I will have to write are going to be the rest of this week. So MAYBE I'll have another out in a few days. But don't get mad if it's another month before you see anything. Thanx for reading, and don't forget to review plz!!! ^^  
  
Peace, Love, and Piccolo  
  
~Kasei 


End file.
